At the time of writing, it looks like the constraints on what everyone can do caused by COVID-19 are going to be lifted stage by stage. As a result, we are planning a number of activities over Easter and a resumption of our other activities as and when we are allowed to do so.
We have been able to legally and safely continue COVID secure church services at 11am on Sunday mornings at the church but are also enabling people to take part remotely using Zoom simultaneously. Access using Zoom is very simple and involves going to www.EastingtonMethodists.org.uk and clicking on the link provided on the opening page. If you are not confident, you can try out the link on your own to see what happens at other times or contact us and we will work with you to make sure everything is fine in advance.
Our prayer meetings at 8:30 – 9:00am on Tuesdays and Fridays and our evening Bible Study at 7:30pm on Tuesdays are all being conducted on ZOOM for the time being and you are welcome to join us.
We will be holding a reflective service on Good Friday where we will be listening to hymns and songs (congregations are still not allowed to sing), Bible readings and considering what happened on the day that Jesus was crucified. This service should also be available over ZOOM.
Our Easter Sunday service is an all age event where families will be allocated an area where they can sit with activities for the children. This is a celebration service marking the resurrection of Jesus when God raised Him from the dead thus proving that His dying was both necessary for the saving of people from their sin and that it was not all in vain. This service should also be available over ZOOM.
Our Messy Church on the Wednesday is a form of hands-on church worship with activities forming a key part of what will be happening. We don’t think we will run out of space but please book your space with us in advance just in case and to avoid a potentially wasted journey.
A Baby and Toddlers Group picnic is planned for 10am on Thursday 1st April at Snakey Lane Park (OHMG). Those attending will need to bring their own food for their own use only and the event will not be able to take place if the weather is poor because the regulations do not permit such groups to meet indoors until 12th April. That change should permit the Baby and Toddlers Group sessions to resume in the building on that Monday and thereafter.
The best information available at the moment suggests that the Youth Club should be able to resume on Friday 17th April. It appears likely that parents should not enter the building at that time so if you wish to talk to one of the leaders, please ask your child to come and get us and/or give us a call if you need to collect them early or want to talk to us at other times. We are also aware that we have effectively missed two years’ worth of new members thanks to COVID-19 and would welcome any new young people between the ages of 11 and 18. The club runs from 7pm – 9pm on Friday and has a sub of 75p per session. There is a registration form to be filled in.
Are you struggling? – Where is God in all this?
I think we have all found life difficult in one way or another over the last year. Things we took for granted we have been prevented from doing including seeing family and going away on trips. For some, it has meant being put on furlough or, worse still, losing a job.
For others, it has meant loneliness and isolation, especially if living alone, possibly made worse by an inability to use new fangled things like ZOOM or WhatsApp over high-tech gadgets which has allowed others, but not you, to see and hear their friends and family whist still stuck at home.
Sadly, some will have lost friends and family members either due to COVID or for other reasons and were possibly unable to be with them when they died or unable to mark their passing at a funeral.
“Where is God in all this?” seems a fair question to ask but too often is it a rhetorical one. By all means ask it – but it is only fair to listen for the answer. Jesus on the cross said “My God my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27 vs 45). This was Good Friday when He was bearing all the sin of the world from the start of time to the end of it and, for the first time, Jesus was separated from God his Father by that sin – our sins. God’s answer came early on the Sunday morning – Jesus was raised from the dead; he got His answer and that is what Easter is all about.
We would be happy to help you to find answers (or rediscover your faith if you have lost it) – please do make contact or just come along to our services.
If you’d like to know more; or you’d just like someone to talk to; or if we can help in any way; give us a call.
Ken & Beck Burgin 01453 827414 or email: info@EastingtonMethodists.org.uk
www.EastingtonMethodists.org.uk
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